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ED May 2017

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40 May 2017 ED Magazine
www.theEDexpo.com
N
ew Orleans-based hospitality management
company, Kirkendoll Management, announced the
purchase of the licenses of all 12 Penthouse Club
locations across the globe for an undisclosed sum. The news
became official on March 30.
The transaction capped nearly seven months of negotiations
between the two parties, who started talks in August 2016.
"We have been a Penthouse licensee since 2005 and
experienced firsthand the power of the brand," says Leigh
Wright, director of brand strategy for Kirkendoll Management.
"In our first four years as The Penthouse Club New Orleans,
we went from the number three club in the market to the
number one (club). The new licensing agreement has been
made as the overall Penthouse brand prepares for a rapid
expansion in many verticals including media production,
alcohol, and clothing. Kirkendoll Management is excited for
the opportunity to immediately enter a broader reach both
nationally and internationally."
As part of becoming the centralized point of operations,
technology and marketing for all licenses of The Penthouse
Club, Kirkendoll is also creating a separate Global Licensing
Business Unit to handle these endeavors.
Previously, Kirkendoll Management's operations were
limited to the southern United States, but that is no longer the
case with The Penthouse Clubs' international presence.
"As we gain experience and insight into different markets,
we will take a much more global approach to the way we
conduct business, analyze opportunities, and grow our
Restaurant and Nightclub Divisions," Wright says. "Now with
four international Penthouse Club licensees and growing,
Kirkendoll will become well-versed in managing and
operating hospitality venues across the world."
In the press release at the time of the acquisition, founder
and CEO John Kirkendoll said, "Kirkendoll's core value
system revolves around a quality customer experience that
is committed to excellence, and now we can translate this
across the world. The Penthouse Club is about to enter an
unprecedented period of growth, and we will be the driving
force behind it."
Part of that growth will be reflected in how Kirkendoll
approaches its Penthouse Club licensed clubs moving
forward. Wright points out how the traditional gentlemen's
club landscape is changing and shifting away from the
conventional table dance model designed for single guys to
a "much broader customer base and is more like a modern
nightclub with great music and dancing. We see this as the
club of the future, and plan to position the Penthouse Club
brand as the premiere gentlemen's club brand worldwide."
Currently, Penthouse Club licenses venues in the United
State, France, Russia, Australia and New Zealand. While that
number will certainly increase under Kirkendoll Management's
stewardship, Wright says the company will be "very selective
in terms of whom we choose to be Licensees and where the
clubs will be located. Only outstanding operators and select
markets will be right for this premiere brand, and we will
ensure that every club we sign on will add further value to the
Penthouse name."
For more information, call (504) 267-5498, visit Kirkmgmt.
com, or see them at their EXPO Tradeshow booth.
Kirkendoll Management will manage operations,
technology and marketing for all licenses of The
Penthouse Club.
purchases Penthouse Club
Kirkendoll Management
LICENSE
Industry News
ED
by Eugenio Torrens